Little research has been conducted on the academic success of alternative high schools. The purpose of this retrospective, longitudinal descriptive study was to determine whether four alternative high schools were successful from 2003 to 2008 in improvement or decline in four variables: students' reading and mathematics scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), school Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), and student dropout rates. Quantitative research methodology was employed, with frequencies and percentages of gains and declines over the period. The theoretical framework was the viability of alternative schools to help at-risk students develop academic skills and control antisocial behaviors. The first two research questions asked to what extent alternative high school students' FCAT reading and mathematics scores changed. The third question asked whether alternative schools' AYP reports changed, and the fourth question asked whether students' dropout rates changed. Null hypotheses were formulated for all questions. No instruments were necessary; data were collected onsite and through the Internet. The population included all students (534) in four schools of the 16 in one Southeast Florida urban school district. Most students were of low socioeconomic status. In two schools, 50% of students were male and 50% female; in one school all students were male; in another all female. In three schools, the majority of these students were African American; in one the majority of students were Hispanic. All four null hypotheses were rejected. For Hypothesis 1, the FCAT reading scores over the study period declined for three of the four schools, with a small gain for one. For Hypothesis 2, the FCAT mathematics scores increased for three of the four schools, with decline for one. For Hypothesis 3, none of the schools made AYP, although the schools varied in percentages of gains or declines. For Hypothesis 4, dropout rates varied between1.2% to 23.9%; which are below the national average of 33%. This study may be the first to track alternative schools' academic success. Implications include dissemination of findings to educators and administrators at district, county, and state levels. Findings could prompt educators to conduct additional similar studies and seek additional funding to improve educational strategies at alternative schools.